4:23pm: The Cubs announced the signing. Davis has been optioned to Triple-A to open a roster spot, and Lucroy will join the team tomorrow.
2:25pm: The Cubs are set to sign catcher Jonathan Lucroy following his release by the Angels, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (via Twitter). Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reported earlier this week that Chicago had interest in Lucroy after he’d been designated for assignment by the Halos.
The Cubs dealt away Martin Maldonado prior to the trade deadline but suddenly found themselves with a unexpected need for help behind the plate when Willson Contreras went down with a hamstring injury that is expected to cost him four weeks of action. Lucroy will step in and share catching duties with Victor Caratini in Contreras’ absence.
Lucroy, now 33, was a thorn in the side of the Cubs and their fanbase for when he was one of the best all-around catchers and a two-time All-Star for the division-rival Brewers. Those days are a distant memory at this point, however, as Lucroy has seen both his bat and his defensive skills erode in recent seasons. Dating back to 2017, he’s authored a well below-average .250/.317/.353 batting line despite spending ample time in hitter-friendly settings in Colorado and Texas (78 OPS+).
Defensively speaking, Lucroy was among the game’s best at preventing steals in 2016 (39 percent), but he’s been league average in the three subsequent seasons. His once-elite framing numbers now check in below the league average, and Baseball Prospectus rates Lucroy as the game’s weakest pitch blocker.
It’s not a terribly appealing profile, especially relative to Lucroy’s peak years, but he’s an experienced backstop who can at the very least be considered an upgrade over current backup Taylor Davis. Caratini was also spiked in the hand in last night’s game, though he didn’t come out of the game and the Cubs have given no reason to be concerned about a trip to the injured list for the young switch-hitter.
Lucroy will only cost the Cubs the prorated portion of the league minimum — about $158K between now and season’s end. The Angels will be spared that sum but remain on the hook for the remaining $797K or so of Lucroy’s $3.35MM base salary this season. Lucroy will be a free agent once again this offseason.
Good pick up
I agree, get an all star from Milwaukee. Wonder why Brewers let him go.
They traded him to the rangers I believe.
And he has played like crap ever since.
Start of the year he was decent for Anaheim
Not really! As it says in the article: “His once-elite framing numbers now check in below the league average, and Baseball Prospectus rates Lucroy as the game’s weakest pitch blocker.”
He was horrendous at allowing runners on first to advance a base or two, ( Via a “wild pitch”.) and then scoring. The Angels pitching staff grew weary of his porous “defense” very early in the season.
he was really good he was just catching pitchers who are strait garbage
you can’t block pitches when they are 90 feet outside
I disagree Lucroy look very lazy behind home plate he wouldn’t turn is glob to frame certain pitches he wouldn’t shift and throw his body in front of wild pitchs
Lucroy has not been any good since 2016. Next time know what your talking about before you let everyone know how low your IQ is.
*you’re..talking about.
Well they didn’t let him go, they traded him. And he hasn’t been an All Star since 2016…the year the Brewers traded him. He has been in a very steep decline since then and has been a negative WAR player since 2016.
how many teams have all star backup catchers?
Russell Martin for one, also in decline but not nearly as far. And surely you meant “former” all stars.
Cuz he was an entitled tool during a couple down years and demanded a trade to a contender..not Cleveland (nixed that deal)..Texas. Or Colorado.
Didn’t happen, so why not try Oakland?
Or the Anaheim Alzheimer’s Angels of greater Los Angeles/North Compton.
Lucroy never demanded a trade anywhere. He didn’t want to be traded by Milwaukee, and he vetoed a deal to a team that told him he’d spend more time at first base than behind the plate while likely seeing a bit less overall playing time.
He was as forthcoming with his explanation of his decision to veto the trade as he could be, doing so in an on-record statement and praising the Indians for being so up front and professional with him.
The level of vitriol he receives for that is downright comical.
The Indians deal was headlined by Mejia and Allen whereas the Rangers deal was headlined by Brinson. None of the 3 have been good big leaguers, but Brinson did become the headliner for Yelich. So, again, why are Brewers fans still salty about this?
Perhaps demanded is the wrong term. He was asked, I believe prior to the season he was dealt, about playing for a rebuilding team (or something to that affect) and his response which I don’t recall exactly, basically stated he preferred to play for a winner/contender.
From there it was about when, not if, he’d be traded.
I couldn’t care less what his reasons were for shooting down the Cleveland deal. I think Milwaukee got a better return from Texas anyway, and I was just happy he was gone.
He vetoed a trade to Cleveland
Steve you got it backwards. The Indians never told him he’d be playing 1B. He asked if he would be the primary catcher next year and they were very honest and told him they couldn’t make any promises. That was enough to spook him. Had he been good enough he’d have played, and eventually Gomes was dealt so the position wasn’t his after all.
Careful Steve, you are letting FACTS get in the way of a good argument here! Ha!
Can’t blame him, who wants to go to Cleveland.
At the beginning (or even before it started) of the 2016, Lucroy mentioned that it might be better if he was traded and then backed off those statements very quickly. As a Brewers fan, I have always liked him as a really great guy on and off the field. He signed what turned into a way under market deal as a younger player and never got the big payday that many would say he deserved because of low performance in free agency years.
where have you been the last few years?
@Yeetus – The Brewers were a 70-something win team in 2016 and there were around 3-4 playoff teams that were interested in a catching upgrade, although the Indians also wanted to use him at 1B since they already had a pretty decent defensive catcher. The Brewers ended up using part of what they got for Lucroy (and Jeffress) in a deal to get some guy named Christian Yelich.
Because of that trade they were able to land Yelich because of Brinson
#1 he couldn’t stay healthy, #2 his offensive and defensive skills were going down,#3 he told the team unless he got a better contract he wanted to be traded.
Should have gone for the likes of Rene Rivera for defense imo.
That was quick
Mlbtr comments section makes gms jobs pretty easy. Oh jeez, that sounds like a good idea and the fans are all about it, sign em up!
I don’t think gms are reading mlbtrade rumors. It will drive them nuts
Agreed Chicagofan. People also need to remember Lucroy did work with both Hamels and Darvish in Texas in 2016. Maybe he helps both guys and the current catchers on the Cubs from here on in? It’s a good move for them.
It was somewhat tounge in cheek, but there is absolutely no shortage of knowledge or great baseball minds on this site.. (And the constructed trade ideas.)
I think one would be surprised to see who reads what online. I’d encourage my employees to do so for sure.
that didn’t take long
Caratini might be hurt, so this needed to be done fast. Caratini got spiked in the left wrist last night.
Caratini catching today
Is Lucroy in uniform? Caratini may be playing, but it doesn’t mean he’s not sore. The play knocked his glove off.
He hit a bomb . I agree he got spiked full speed. Tough guy
And the runner slid right into his wrist. Looked like it was on purpose
U never played sports did u? It was a bang bang play
His cleat went right into his hand. He literally went right after his his hand. It was very deliberate. You can clearly see that.
If there was even a hint that it was intentional, Maddon would have been out of the dugout in a second. It was unfortunate, but I doubt it was intentional.
If it was Bruce Lee, I might agree. But the average human doesnt have the ability to run full speed, launch themselves off the ground, and strike a small target with their foot.
Look at the play again. He made no effort for lower his foot. He’s not hurt that’s the most important part.
No effort is far different from intentional.
It’s the same thing but okay. Again Caratini isn’t hurt. And runner was. Nobody player
I’m a Cubs fan (surprise) but the runner’s cleat went right into his wrist/forearm because Caratini literally stuck his hand in front of it. It looked to me, someone who has caught before, like he expected the runner to already be closer to home than he was, or that he’d be sliding in head first. There’s no need to turn everything into an argument, unless it involves ChiSoxFan.
HaHa Yes
Are you Caratini’s mother? He wasn’t blaming the runner, his manager want blaming the runner, and his team wasn’t blaming the runner. So why are you blaming the runner?
Good guy to bridge the gap until Contreras returns. Subpar defensive skills but a plethora of experience and average offensive output.
Except he sucks on offense too…
Looked pretty decent in his very first game as a Cub. Caught well, went 3-5 with 2 RBI and he’s back in a division he was pretty familiar with. He just may surprise you
There it is. Good signing for the league minimum money
They way Les was talking on the Score last night, this probably wouldn’t happen since other teams had a higher claim on him than the cubs. Happy we got him.
It wasn’t a waiver claim. He was a free agent, could sign with any team.
If you arent from Chicago, or don’t listen to Les Grobstein with the overnight, then you might not know that he’s universally recognized for being a moron. The sheer idiocy he spews is mocked mercilessly by every other host on the station.
This ^ by inept. Spot on
Les also doesn’t know anything about anything, so it’s not all that surprising.
Thank you Theo for listening to my last post.
He actually quoted you in the press release. “Ully thought it would be a smart move to pick up Lucroy off waivers, so we decided we had to trust the vision of a true baseball god.” -Theo Epstein
Hahaha, at least he wasn’t talking about his buddy Eddie Veder.
$158k for a backup role. Of course, he’s not what he once was but he’s a good veteran to have around in that role until Wilson can hopefully make it back.
Could he still be on the postseason roster?
Yup. In the organization before September.
Thanks.
Way to go Klentak. You, like most of your lineup, has struck out again.
why Chicago when they’re just going to cut you when Contreras comes back anyway? there are probably a few contenders that would be willing to keep him around through the pkayoffs. Phillies could have guaranteed him the backup spot through the end of the year.
Contreras is not coming back until early September and by that time the rosters expand. SO Cubs will carry 3 catchers the rest of the way like most teams do.
…and obviously, nobody claimed him on waivers so if you become a free agent and have a choice you might as well go to a contender. Yes Philly is a contender, but I think the Cubs are probably have a higher probability, at this point, of playing meaningful baseball in October.
Phillies could’ve used ANY production at the C position behind Realmuto, I’ll take a cliff diving Lucroy over the out machine that is Andrew Knapp.
again, they might keep him around that long, but they probably arent keeping three catchers on the postseason roster.
We’ll see if being in a pennant race energizes him like other players have claimed (Hamels, Castellanos). For sure, this is a no-brainer move and his veteran leadership will help too.
Also lot more playing time backing up Caratini which will likely be a 50/50 split compared to Realmuto which is likely once a week.
st. louis should have claimed him, just so the cubs couldn’t
Well the Cubs didn’t claim him, soooo….
was on waivers first, soooo, there
Can’t say Theo/Jed aren’t kicking over ever rock possible…I’m sure teams will be running all day long on his defense.
They already did, except it’s Darvish and Lester they run on, not the catchers.
Oddly—they don’t run on Lester much anymore. Each of the last four season the caught stealing rate with Lester on the mound has been above league average. This year there have only been nine attempts against him (55 in ‘15; 41 in ‘16) and four have been caught. Only five stolen bases against Lester this year. Darvish—-quite the opposite—-yikes.
Good to know. Thanks. I just think the guy is a step up from Taylor and has a world of experience. He might just have something left in the tank with a change of scenery. I’m thinking about the turnaround Hamels made when he went to the Cubs last season. Stranger things have happened.
So we essentially ended up with a three team trade. Maldonado to the Astros, Stassi to the Angels, Lucroy to the Cubs. With the Angels picking up most of Lucroy’s remaining salary.
Good eye
And the Cubs got Kemp
Congrats Cubs! You’re getting a crap catcher who can’t block and leads the league in wild pitches most of those which should have been passed balls. He also offers next to nothing with the bat. Would rather play Davis and let him develop but experience rules.
Yes, unfortunately the Cubs are in for a shock at how bad his defense has gotten.
Perfect example of People who only watch one team, I would not get excited about Lucroy, coming from an angel fan the biggest relief for the season is when we released him, our catching core had been the worst in baseball headlined by him! Gives up 90 feet like its nothing. Takes away countless chances at double plays and puts runners in scoring position. Cant throw out runners either. Prime example of how a name and reputation will take you places.
I’m glad he is gone as well, Jose Molina would have done a better job putting back on the pads instead of holding a clipboard.
Cubs fans are more so excited about not having to rely on Taylor Davis, not as if we believe Lucroy is going to come in and be some sort of savior. Taylor Davis seems like a good dude, but he’s 29 and holds a spot on the 40 man as an emergency catcher. An okay hitter with below average power in the minors, with a good reputation in the clubhouse. If I’m in a neck and neck playoff race, I’m paying $160k to take a flyer on Lucroy over trying to “develop” a 29 year old emergency catcher ten times out of ten.
Csamson exactly. Cubs aren’t looking for a savior, just someone that may get them a hit or two when Caratini needs a break.
He’d have to put down the box of donuts though…
Lucroy > Taylor Davis. It’s a definite upgrade although Davis has a wicked fastball last night
As expect
Off topic but where did the Darvish vs Arrieta discussion gone?
Right?! Suddenly no chatter at all about the Cubs choice. But it can turn on a dime before Oct.
No brainer: Cubs get veteran catcher to help Maddon coach for next to nothing.
And it can’t possibly hurt. Good get.
Cubs will finish no better than 3rd in their division regardless of how many acquisitions they make.
You mean the Cubs that currently have a 3.5 game lead in the Cards to lead the division? Sit down hater.
Yes, those Cubs who never win on the road.
10 game road trip coming up.
You’ll eat those words, I guarantee it.
How’s that road trip going?
Gonna be 2-8 with dreadful 9th inning losses!!!
Cubs dropping like a rock to 4th place soon!!
It sure didn’t take long to blow that lead!
Lol….come on guy. I’m surprised those words didn’t actually come in a green font seeing as how envious that statement sounded. We gave you Eloy & Cease for a #4 starter, well, on our team anyway, I believe he was the Sox #1 at the time of the trade? So don’t be envious be glad our scouting/farm system helped you out. Before you try to knock our current farm system, remember our farm produced MLB all-star talent for our entire infield (1B,2B,SS,3B,C,P,1-6) which then caused us to win a World Series sandwiched between League Championship Series and another playoff spot last year. So, we don’t get to draft as high anymore, that’s how it’s supposed to go when you build instead of just getting lucky one season. Our “bad” year last year was 95 wins and the last 42 games played in 43 days, with a stretch of 3 games in 3 different cities in 3 days. That info should nip any weak quips in the bud before you Hulk-out and grow ever greener.
Dumpster Divin’ Theo!
Broken record, pointless, phallus gulping chitown311!
Halos! 1 game away from being under .500 and 20 games out.
That all you got??? You sound pretty lame Shane!
This guy is a real ball player. He just got dumped on by the process that players go through. I hope he does very well.
This guy is a third string catcher. Why is this becoming such a big debate? The cubs were short on catching depth and Lucroy is a solid third option. Once Contreras comes back he won’t see the field.
That depends. Caratini started the season off hot, but then really slumped badly. He hit a homer last night, but Maddon most likely platoons Lucroy and Caratini depending on the matchups. They are both light defensively, so whoever hits will get the playing time on Contreras days off
It is only one game but he looked like he may have some value left at the very least a serviceable backup to Caratini until Contreras is able to return.